If not for the Australians turning a defensive situation into an offensive one, thereby creating the Middle East theatre for Lowell Thomas to come and find the raw material for his myth, Lawrence would have remained a clerk in the Cairo Intelligence Office. Lawrence had been rejected for regular duty - being too short at 5'4" / 165cm. (In the photo on the right, Lawrence is 2nd from the left.) David Lean cast Peter O’Toole who stands 6'2" / 184cm to play Lawrence in his film.

And Lawrence was not the only Allied officer who dressed in Arab costume, and worked with the Arabs in the guerila campaign. There were many others, and according to Gen. Allenby, the overall British commander, more effective too, including Col. Newcombe below.

Nor was Lawrence the only non-Arab riding camels. There was a whole regiment of Australian cameleers.